Of Starlight and Dragons gold
by Akronite
Summary: Warning: contains spoilers for DoS. In short it is about Kili and Tauriel and the challenges they have to overcome to be together.
1. Starlight

**Disclaimer**

**I, in no way own The Hobbit or any of its characters.**

**Oh, and for the stories sake let's just say that the awakening of Smaug the terrible has been delayed few days, okay?**

**Tauriel POV**

Tauriel was exhausted, healing people did that to you. At least the Athleas had worked and Kili was sleeping peacefully, his fever had subsiding and the muscles in his leg easing. She watched his chest rise and fall as she bound his wound, occasionally talking to him soothingly in elvish when he stirred.

She was about to go and rest herself when he spoke.  
"Tauriel..." He whispered hoarsely

"Lie still." She said, her heart secretly fluttering in happiness that Kili remembered her name

"You cannot be her. She is far away. She... she is far away from me. She walks in starlight in another world." He opened his eyes slightly and reached up weakly to touch her hand. Surprisingly she didn't pull away; instead she drank in every detail of his touch as his rough fingers scraped over her smooth skin.

"D-do you think she could have loved me?" He fixed her with his eyes for a few moments before falling back asleep.

She sat with him, gently holding his hand for a while, alone with her thoughts. Did she love him? He had made the long days of guarding the dwarves in their cells bearable and she had found herself looking forward to her shift. When the orc had said Kili was going to die she had definitely felt more than friendly concern for the dwarf that had flirted so shamelessly with her. When she and Legolas had gone to hunt down the remainder of the pack she had hoped beyond hope that she would be able to find him, and save him.

Was it love?

Tauriel got up quietly, careful not to wake the sleeping dwarf; she stretched and went outside, into the cool night air to ponder the question further.

Bright stars scattered the velvet sky and as she stared up at them she caught herself thinking that Kili was right. Their light was cold, high above, taunting them with beauty that they could not have. Even as she thought that she also knew that they were promises, not unlike the rune stone, promises that even in darkness there is light. It was there; beneath the stars she knew her answer.

...

The next morning Kili was awake before she was, complaining about spending the night with a bowl of walnuts as a pillow, and a great deal other things. He fell silent though when Tauriel entered the room, trying not to meet her eyes and blushing slightly.

Later that day the rest of the dwarves went out to gather supplies for the trip to the mountain that they would set of on as soon as Kili's leg was healed. Unfortunately this left the two in a relatively empty house, sitting in a relatively uncomfortable silence.

Kili coughed nervously "So, uh, I'd like to thank you for saving my life. What's that, three times now?" he said counting them off on his fingers

Tauriel smiled "Well I did not save you before just to see you die now, did I?"

"True."

Back to silence.

"I'm sorry." Kili said quietly

"For what?"

"For what I said while I was sick. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sorry that I feel this way, I'm just sorry that you had to know."

It was either now or never. She swallowed her fear and leaned closer to him, making him look into her deep green eyes

"I'm not."

Then she cupped his face in her hands and slowly brought their lips together.

**Review Please! Constructive criticism is welcome!**

**Thanks so much for reading! I plan to add(a lot )more chapters when I get back from my holiday!**

**Akronite**


	2. Distraction and Dragonfire

**Disclaimer**

**I, in no way own The Hobbit or any of its characters.**

**Kili POV**

"Will you wipe that stupid grin off your face?" asked Fili, sharpening the already razor blade of his sword with a stone.

"Sorry." Kili muttered, pulling his eyes away from Tauriel who was helping Sigrid and Tilda rearrange the kitchen after the orcs had ransacked it.

After spending the afternoon being kissed by an elf he couldn't help but let his mind wander, remembering the feeling of her fingers in his hair and his lips on her silken skin.

"Kili? Hello? Are you in there, little brother?" A voice jerked him back to reality

He turned to Fili "W-what?"

"I was just wondering how your fever was."

Kili touched his hand to his forehead where heat still raged beneath his skin, after the events of earlier though it had stopped bothering him.

"Uh, better I guess."

He looked up and met Tauriel's gaze. She smiled softly and he beamed back.

"Alright." Said Fili, eyeing him suspiciously "You get distracted so easily y'know. "

"Do Not!" retorted Kili indignantly

Fili's response was drowned out by a roaring sound and a tremor that shook the house, toppling things from their shelves. Tilda dived to retrieve a doll before it hit the floor. Tauriel stood up, alert and ran to the balcony.

She strained her keen eyes for a few seconds before calling out a single word

"DRAGON!"

Kili's blood turned to ice. Smaug had awoken and here they were, in Laketown as venerable as sitting ducks.

He hobbled to her side, leaning on a broom.

In the star-studded night he could see a huge black shape hurtling through the sky, it began to rise, spreading its wings, blotting out the moon.

His heart sunk. Smaug was bigger than he thought. They stood no chance.

Tauriel spun around, the flame of battle glinted in her emerald eyes.

"Fili!" She shouted "Get Kili out of here! Go to Erebor!"

Fili didn't need telling twice. He gestured for Bofur to help Kili down the stairs before he and Oin ran off into the darkness.

Kili reached for her hand "What about you?" he asked

"I will get the girls out, and then come back and help others."

"Will I see you again?"

She smiled "I will meet you at the mountain, I promise."

At that moment he did not care if Bofur was watching, he did not know what Thorin would say about their love, but he loved her, and that was all he knew; He stretched up and brushed their lips together.

Tauriel blushed slightly and embraced him "Go now melethril." She whispered

Bofur's mouth fell open. He looked first at Kili and then Tauriel before shaking his head and grabbing Kili's arm

"Come on, let's go loverboy" he chuckled.

The next ten minutes passed by in a blur, people were running screaming as houses exploded into walls of fire. Fili had found two horses that they had to mount from a wall. Seconds later, Kili who was seated in front of his brother felt the rhythmic thud of hooves as they galloped across a narrow wooden bridge.

The last thing he could remember was turning to look back at lake town, golden flames reflecting on the inky water and Smaug circling overhead, glowing with firelight.

**REVIEWS ARE MUCH APRECIATED!**

**Melethril is elvish for lover.**


	3. Worry

**Disclaimer:**

**I, in no way own The Hobbit or any of its characters.**

**Kili POV**

KIli's dreams were filed with fire and the anguished cries of people. _People he couldn't save. _He could see flailing shapes amongst the flames, only one he recognised. It was Tauriel, every hair silhouetted perfectly against the flickering red, she screamed his name just as he awoke, shaking and soaked in sweat.

"Ya alright there lad?" It was Bofur, looking over him in concern

"Y-yes..." Kili stammered trying to get his heart to stop racing "Wait, where are we?"

The dwarves were sitting below a pile of stone, Fili and Oin were sleeping opposite him and the horses who were tied to a small, bare tree tore into the lush grass hungrily.

Bofur shrugged "Somewhere near the desolation apparently, your brother knows where we're goin'"

The air smelled faintly of smoke, he shuddered and pulled his coat tighter around him, and looked out to the horizon. It glowed with a soft orange light, plumes of black smoke rose against the night, there was no sign of Smaug.

"I hope she's okay, for your sake." Bofur said quietly, cutting Kili out of his trance. He looked up in confusion

"The elf maiden, I mean." He continued

"Oh. About that..."

Bofur chuckled "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Kili smiled, he knew he could trust him.

...

Later that day they cantered through the destroyed great gates at Erebor, and Kili, for the first time saw his homeland. The halls stretched so high they were engulfed in darkness and you couldn't see the roof , intricate carvings on the walls wove a visual history of his people and the mountains of gold that spilled from every room caught the light, throwing strange shadows.

Despite this he just felt empty. His worry for Tauriel consumed him; he couldn't escape, too afraid to sleep because of the nightmares that kept him awake. Somewhere inside of him he remembered that she was a warrior and chances are she was alive, but he still couldn't help but worry, he loved her after all.

**Thanks so much to everyone who has followed/ faved/or reviewed this story so far! (you know you want to...)**

**My apologies for not updating sooner (damn you writer's block! XD) **


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